Carbon eliminator and fuel saver for internal-combustion engines



Dec. 1,1 24. 1,517,326

A. F. WATKINS CARBON ELIMINATOR AND FUEL SAVER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Abril 20, 1922 2 Sheets-$heei 1 I N VENTOR.

A TTORNE Dec, 2, 1924'.

A; F. WATKINS CARBON ELIMINATOR AND FUEL SAVER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Am -11 20,

' 'Be it known that I, ARTHUR Patented Dec. 2, 1924.

, UNITED STATES v 1,517,326 PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR F. WATKINS, OF LAKEWOOD, OHIO.

CARBON EIIMINATOR AND FUEL SAVER FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Application filed April 20, 1922. Serial No. 555,682.

- Fuel Savers for Internal-Combustion En- .case of the engine.

makes other more particularly, to an attachment for, saving fuel and for obtaining more perfect combustion, thus eliminating or reducing carbon deposits in the cylinders. The present dev ce is arranged to take gases from the engine crank casewhere they are produced, and to deliver them to the engine manifold into the stream of carburetec gas and air to obtaina better firing mixture and to reduce the amount .of fuel used by the carburetor.

In all internal combustion engines there is a certain amount-of fuel leakage around the pistonsand rings andinto the crank It is also possiblethat the tremendous agitation of the lubricating oil in the crank case under high temperature causes some cracking of the oil and thus volatile combustible gases. There is also a certain amount of both live and spent gases which leak past the pistons. This collection of gases in the crank case is dry gas compared with the carburetedinixture, and this gas is in the present instance used with the carburetor gas to increase-the engine eific ency. To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claim.

The annexed drawing and the following descript'on set forth in detail certain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but one of various mechanical forms in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawing Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of my improved a aratus showing certain arts in section; ig. 2 is sectional view 0 the construction shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified construction; Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the construction of the form shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a plan view showing the arrangement of-the parts; and Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

The present device is shown in connection with a Ford engine but may of course be attached to any form of internal combustion engine and as illustratedjin Figs. 1 and 2, there is a breather tube 1, which communicates with the interior of the engine crank .case 2, ths tube being provided just above the crank case with an aperture or slot 3 to receive the gas conduit 4 which is provided within .the tube with an upturned hooded end 5 having an opening 6. The conduit extends along the engineto a point adjacent the engine manifold 7 where it is provided with a valve 8 having a valve handle and rod 9 connected to the valve stem 10 by means of a universal joint 11, the valve handle, rod and handle being of sufiicient length to preferably extend through the dashboard of the vehicle to be conveniently placed for the vehicle driver.

Vithin the engine manifold is mounted a gas delivery nozzle 12 suitably connected to the end of the valve casing and this nozzle is mounted in the vertical portion of the manifold with its del'very end well up in the manifold adjacent to the horizontal portion which communicates with the valve openings. The nozzle itself is a short hollow tube placed in the same direction as the flow of gas through the man'fold and this nozzle is provided at the bottom with a valve seat 13 and at the top with a retaining pin 14, a ball valve being mounted in the nozzle to prevent back-firing. 4

The breather tube is provided at the top with a ca 15 which has a downwardly extending disk 17 having a center opening 18, the flange above the disk being attached to the caps at several points 19 leaving air spaces. Between the cap and disk is mounted a ball 20 adapted to normally close the aperture in said disk to prevent air leakage into the breather tube. The breather tube is provided with an aperture 21 and the flan e 16 has a slot or aperture 22 which may %e brought into alignment with the aperture 21 by turning the cap and thus an adjustable air inlet opening for the breather tube is obtained.

ange. 16 provided with a concave The aperture 3 at the bottom of the breather tube where the gas conduit enters the same is loose enough to allow air to enter the tube at this point and it is found that the auxiliary air opening at the top of the breather tube may be kept closed in cold weather but may be opened slightly in warm Weather or to suit certain engine conditions.

tube. Likewise-the stand .pipe in the res-- In the form shown in Figs. 3 to 6 an added reservoir for gases is used and the construction provides for an elbow 3O tapped into the crank case, this elbow being connected by a pipe 31 having'a ball valve 32 and and hand shut-off valve 33 to a cylindrical reservoir 34 in which is mounted a stand pipe 35 extending Well up into the reservoir.

This stand pipe passes through thebottom of the reservoir and is connected to one side of a T-union in the conduit 4, thi s union being mounted closely adjacent the valve 8. "In the conduit 4 a second hand valve 36 is mounted by which the breather tube 1 and pipe therein may be shut off. Thereservoir is provided with an aperture 37 and has a cap 38 having a depending flange 39 with an aperture 40 which is adapted to be moved into alignment with the aperture 37 to admit air to the reservoir.

This cap flange 39 extends down to form a closed bottom except for a hole 41 in which is mounted a ball valve 42, thus allowing air to escape when necessary.

The upstanding end of the gas conduit or stand pipe in the breather tube is placed far enough above the level of the crank case to eliminate alloil splash so'that the gas entering the stand pipe is dry gas free from globules. The cover or hooded end also prevents oil from entering the pipe when filling the crank case through the breather ervoir is well above the crank base level and no oil splash is possible.

The delivery nozzle is mounted longitudinally in the direction of flow of carburetor gases and high above the carburetor so that the gas through the device quickly passes to the engine cylinders giving with the carburetor gas a very dry combustible gas which burns completely without excess free carbon', thus keeping the cylinders and sparkplugs and valves clean.

The ball valve in the nozzle prevents danger from back firing and the use of the device may be easily controlled from the drivers seat. Marked improvement in en'- to that from the carburetor giving a marked improvement in economy as running qualities to the engine.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed, provided the means stated by the following claim or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with an internal combustion engine having an inlet'manifold and a crank case, of a cylindrical reservoir positioned centrally of one side of said crank case and extending upwardly above a horizontal plane at the level at the top of said engine, a valve closure at the top of said reservoir, an integral closure for the lower end of said reservoir, a pipe connecting saidcrank case with said lower end of saidreservoir, a check valve and a cut-off valve in said connecting pipe, a gas supply conduit extending upwardly within said reservoir to a point above a horizontal plane located at the top of the breather pipe of said engine, a second gas conduit connected with the lower end of said firstnamed gas conduit and extending forwardly to said breather pipe and upwardly within the same,- a cut-off valve in said second conduit, a gas delivery nozzle mounted within the engine manifold, a check valve within said delivery nozzle, a connecting section between said delivery nozzle and said two conduits, and a controlling valve in said connecting sectionhaving an extension rod with itsupper end located adjacent the position of the driver of the automobile.

Signed by me, this 17 day of April, 1922. v ARTHUR F. WATKINS. 

